This invention relates to a freight system and more particularly to an improved article conveying system of the monorail type.
It is well known in many operations such as engine assembly lines to employ a conveying system for automatically conveying parts to predetermined assembly stations. Although a wide variety of conveying systems have been proposed for this purpose, most of these conveyors become quite large and complicated. The monorail type system, wherein the conveyor comprises a monorail and a traveling conveying mechanism that moves along the monorail has a wide variety of applications due to its simplicity. However, this same simplicity gives rise to certain disadvantages. For example, if the monorail runs over areas that extend at different levels, it is necessary for the monorail to climb and descent grades. In order to do this with previously proposed arrangements, complicated gear or other systems have been required in order to permit the monorail to go up and down these grades. In addition, the stability of the monorail type of conveyor, due to its use of a single guide rail, can give rise to problems both when going up and down grades and also when rounding curves.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved monorail type of conveying system.
It is another object of this invention to provide a monorail conveying system wherein the travelling conveyor has good stability on the monorail and can traverse a wide variety of paths including ascending and descending grades and rounding curves.
In order to provide maximum space utilization in factories or work areas, it is frequently necessary for the conveyor to travel over different heights. However, often the places where the work pieces are to be deposited and raised bay be at various distances from the guide rail even though the guide rail may have raised and lowered sections. That is, there are times when it is desirable to place the guide rail at different heights relative to the respective work stations. Previously proposed monorail conveyors have not permitted such height variations between the rail and the various locations where the work piece is picked up or deposited due to the limited vertical travel of the gripping device carried by the conveyor, if any vertical travel in fact is provided.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved type of conveying apparatus where the traveling conveyor that moves along the guide rail carries a gripping device that is movable vertically relative to the travelling device so as to accommodate different heights between the guide rail and the various work stations.